Ethylene glycol
C2H6O262.07 g/mol Calculated
Also called ethylene alcohol, glycol alcohol and ethanediol.
Antifreeze. It tastes sweet, which is why pets and children drink it, and the body turns it into acids that attack the kidneys.
Sources and notes
- The introductionfrom sourceMoleculeFinder curated
- Other namesfrom sourceWikidataIts English label and aliases on Wikidata.
- Formula and weightcomputedPubChem
- 2D drawingcomputedPubChem structure, drawn by RDKit
- 3D modelfrom sourcePubChem 3D conformerLoaded after the page has painted, and on a phone only when you ask for it; the 2D drawing shows until it arrives.
Compare a related molecule
Ethylene glycol
Propylene glycol
One methyl group apart.
The body turns ethylene glycol into oxalic acid, which harms the kidneys, and propylene glycol into lactic acid, which it handles routinely.
Ethylene glycol vs Propylene glycol, side by sideSources and notes
- The sentencefrom sourceMoleculeFinder comparison notesThe pair's answer line.
- The two drawingscomputedPubChem structures, drawn by RDKitDrawn the same way round; the amber marks where the two differ.
- The captionfrom sourceMoleculeFinder curated
Properties and sources
Calculated by PubChem
- Molecular formula
- C2H6O2
- Molecular weight
- 62.07 g/mol
- XLogP3octanol/water, log units
- −1.4
- Polar surface areatopological
- 40.5 Ų
- H-bond donors
- 2
- H-bond acceptors
- 2
- Rotatable bonds
- 1
- Complexity
- 6
Measured LD50, HSDB via PubChem
4,700 mg/kg pure ethylene glycol, rat, oral
An LD50 is an animal study measurement, not a dose for a person.
Reported Hazard label (GHS), ECHA, EU CLP Regulation, Safe Work Australia via PubChem
Warning Irritant pictogram (GHS07) and Health hazard pictogram (GHS08); hazard statements H302, H335, H373
Groups it belongs to
- Category
- Everyday chemistry
- Family
- Alcohols
- Chemical groups
- Alcohols
- Hazard classes
- Irritant, Health hazard, GHS Warning
- Size
- Under 100 g/mol
SMILES
C(CO)OPubChem CID 174 · Wikidata Q194207 · InChIKey LYCAIKOWRPUZTN-UHFFFAOYSA-N · Data refreshed
Questions
- What is Ethylene glycol?
- Antifreeze. It tastes sweet, which is why pets and children drink it, and the body turns it into acids that attack the kidneys.
- How toxic is Ethylene glycol?
- The reported LD50 of Ethylene glycol is 4,700 mg/kg (rat, oral). An LD50 is an animal study measurement, not a dose for a person. Its GHS hazard label carries the signal word Warning and the hazard pictograms Irritant and Health hazard. from sourcefrom source
- What kind of molecule is Ethylene glycol?
- Ethylene glycol has the formula C2H6O2 and a molecular weight of 62.07 g/mol. MoleculeFinder files it under alcohols, in the everyday chemistry group. from sourcefrom sourcefrom sourcefrom source
- What else is Ethylene glycol called?
- Ethylene glycol is also called ethylene alcohol, glycol alcohol and ethanediol. from source
Sources and notes
- Calculated valuescomputedPubChemComputed from the structure, so no laboratory conditions apply; complexity is PubChem's own structural score.
- LD50from sourceHSDB via PubChemOther values the sources report: mouse, oral, 7,500 mg/kg; guinea pig, oral, 8,200 mg/kg; dog, oral, 8,810 mg/kg. The page shows the one LD50 the site uses everywhere.
- Hazard labelfrom sourceECHA, EU CLP Regulation, Safe Work Australia via PubChemThe label combines these classifications.
- ECHAfrom sourceAttributionSource: European Chemicals Agency, echa.europa.eu.
- EU CLP Regulationfrom sourceAttributionSource: EUR-Lex, Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008, © European Union.
- Safe Work Australiafrom sourceAttributionSource: Safe Work Australia, Hazardous Chemical Information System, © Commonwealth of Australia, CC BY 4.0.
- Data refreshedfrom sourceMoleculeFinder2026-11-09
Keep exploring
Sources and notes
- A group apartfrom sourceMoleculeFinder comparison captions
- The same kind of moleculefrom sourceMoleculeFinder curated groupsA structural neighbour in the same family or type group; the line names the group in its own words.
- The drawingscomputedPubChem structures, drawn by RDKit